Loyalty
by Tayfilly
Summary: Maureen is involved in a crime being investigated by the SVU. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

title: Loyalty  
  
author: Tayfilly   
  
rating: PG-13   
  
summary: Maureen is involved in a crime investigated by the SVU.   
  
author notes: This story takes place during Maureen's freshman year at college. Please review, or email tayfilly@yahoo.com – questions, suggestions and comments welcome and appreciated.   
  
disclaimer: I created a few of these characters, but anybody you recognize is, of course, owned by the fine folks at SVU.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Hudson University Freshman Housing/December 2/4:48 PM  
  
*****  
  
Hunched over her laptop on the bed in her dorm room, Maureen tapped the 'return' key desperately and emitted a moan. "I HATE HudWeb!"  
  
Her roommate, Tessa, was curled up with her huge Shakespeare textbook on her bed across the small room. She laughed sympathetically. "What's wrong with it now?"  
  
Maureen sighed. "Oh, it STILL won't let me register for that photography class next term." She flopped dramatically back against her pillows. "And now the whole stupid thing is frozen. UGH."   
  
Tessa sat up, slamming her book shut with a crack. "Double ugh. Me and good ol' Bill Shakespeare are NOT getting along today."  
  
Maureen sat back up too, turning to face her roommate. "Screw this studying business."  
  
"Easy for you to say. I have an exam on As You Like It on Friday."  
  
"That's three whole days away," Maureen replied, flicking her wrist dismissively. "You'll be fine." She turned back to her computer, which had finally calmed down and escaped from the frozen grip of the Hudson University student services network. "Hey, look. I just got an email from my dad."  
  
Tessa was staring despondently at the ceiling. "Yeah? What's he say?"  
  
Maureen was reading along. "Whoa, he sent it like, two minutes ago." She laughed. "He says he's getting off work in half an hour and he and his partner are going to get dinner at Tony's and he wants to know if I want to meet them."  
  
Tessa wrinkled her forehead quizzically. "Why didn't he just call you?"  
  
Maureen snapped her laptop shut and slid off the bed, smiling. "He's weird about that … he loves to email me. Which is funny because when I was in high school he used to SNOOP through my email."  
  
Her roommate laughed aloud. "Your dad is SUCH a cop!"  
  
"I know," sighed Maureen. She walked over to the mirror, examined a spot on her chin that was threatening to become a zit, and twisted her hair back. "Well, I think I'm going to go. Do you wanna come?"  
  
Tessa sat up. "I wish. I said I would babysit for Professor Pressman."  
  
"Ewww," groaned Maureen, rifling through the hangers in her closet for her lavender sweater. "I hate that guy. You shouldn't babysit for him anymore."  
  
"I know, I know. But I don't want to just stop all of a sudden, you know? He might get pissed or something." Tessa had Professor Pressman for her modern poetry class and had agreed to babysit his two daughters when he'd asked a few months ago. The kids were fine, but she'd discovered that the professor was asking her to babysit while he went out with another undergraduate in the class on nights that his wife, a doctor, was working.  
  
Maureen was contemplating whether she would need a scarf for the winter evening, and if so, which one. She held two different ones under her face, comparing.  
  
Tessa scoffed. "Oh, they're both pretty, Maureen. You look hot in everything."  
  
Maureen rolled her eyes. She knew she was pretty – she looked like her mom, and her mom was pretty. But Tessa was pretty gorgeous herself, with big green eyes, chestnut hair and clear skin, even though she didn't seem to realize it. "Maybe I won't take one. It's not that cold anyway."  
  
"What?! It's freezing out there! Take a scarf, for God's sake," protested her roommate.  
  
Maureen smiled – Tessa was from California and the onset of east coast winter had been kind of a shock – wrapped her black scarf around her neck, and headed out into the hallway.   
  
She hurried down the stairs, through the dingy lobby, and out onto the street, where she was immediately glad she'd brought the scarf. She teased Tessa a lot for being a wimp about the weather, but it was definitely not warm out there, and the wind was beginning to blow along the corridors created by the tall Manhattan buildings, gaining speed as it left the river.  
  
Maureen walked rapidly and was grateful to reach the subway entrance, which smelled like the usual mix of urine and garbage but at least was warmer, without any wind. Her train was pulling up just as she reached the platform, and she climbed on and rode for the two-stop ride to the pizzeria where she was meeting her dad.  
  
TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

Tony's Pizzeria/ December 2/ 5:26 PM  
  
*****  
  
The wind was colder than ever as Maureen pulled open the heavy glass door to Tony's and stepped inside to the glowing, fragrant warmth. She waited a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimness and haze, and then noticed her father waving at her from a booth across the room.  
  
"Hi, Dad," she said as she walked up, ready for his big bear hug. "Hi, Olivia," she said as they sat down.  
  
"How's it going, Maureen?" replied her father's partner. Her words were the standard polite fare that Maureen expected, but she had forgotten the sincerity she always detected in Olivia. It had been awhile since they'd seen each other, but Maureen had always liked her and been glad her dad had a partner who seemed so capable and kind.  
  
"Pretty good," she replied, smiling and unwinding the scarf from her neck. "I have finals coming up in a few weeks though and that's really going to suck."  
  
Olivia laughed. "Boy, I'm glad I don't have to do THAT anymore," she said, opening the big colorful menu. "What are you studying?"  
  
"Uhhhh," stalled Maureen, her eyes sliding over to Elliot. Her indecision about what to major in was becoming a point of contention. Plenty of people she knew were still undeclared, but her father already fretted so much about tuition that he kept urging her to get focused. "Well, I'm taking a poetry class, and a freshman history survey, and Spanish and drawing," she said.  
  
"She DEFINES liberal arts," interjected Elliot, dryly. Maureen rolled her eyes.  
  
Olivia laughed, though. "I think it's good to explore and experiment," she said. Interestingly, remembered Maureen, this was exactly what her mother said whenever she and Elliot had this particular argument.  
  
Just then, the waiter came by and took their order, which was for an enormous pizza with so many toppings that Maureen wasn't sure how they were really going to eat it.  
  
As he left, Elliot said pointedly, "Maureen's roommate, Tessa, is an English major." Maureen knew where this was going: Tessa had stayed with them over Thanksgiving and had, of course, been a model guest. Elliot had been delighted with her manners and her motivated and organized plans for her entire college career.   
  
"Yeah," Maureen said, smiling in spite of herself. "He's hoping she'll rub off on me."  
  
"Do you guys get along?" asked Olivia.  
  
"Uh huh, she's awesome. She's from California. She studies too much, but usually on the weekends I can get her to loosen up."   
  
Olivia found this amusing, but Elliot did not. In fact, he coughed a little and had a bit of trouble swallowing the sip of water he had just taken. Only the fact that he looked at Olivia's laughing face as he cleared his throat saved Maureen from having to answer questions about what, exactly, she did on the weekends to loosen up.  
  
Just then, Olivia's phone rang. Deftly, she flipped it open. "Benson." She listened, her face taking on harder, tougher lines than the laughter of just a moment before. "They're at the scene? … Okay. Okay, call us again if we need to be there." She hung up. Elliot looked at her, a question he didn't want to ask in front of Maureen on his face. Olivia shook her head. "They won't know for awhile yet. They'll call us." Elliot nodded.  
  
Maureen looked from one to the other. "Are you guys working on a case? Tonight?"  
  
"Maybe tonight," said Elliot. "But don't worry, sweetheart. We've got plenty of time for dinner."  
  
Conveniently, their pizza arrived right then, steaming and laden with toppings. "Yummmm," said Olivia appreciatively, and she and Elliot happily dug right in.  
  
Maureen slid a slice onto her plate but felt herself being momentarily frozen by an unexpected but familiar hesitation. Unwelcome anxieties about eating had occasionally gripped her since high school, but she wasn't sure what the problem was now. Maybe it was just the pressure of college. She LIKED being small, and enjoyed the attention of the guys in her dorm and at parties. She just wished it didn't stress her out so much sometimes.  
  
She looked up at her father and Olivia, both of whom were so busy with their cheesy, gooey slices that they hadn't yet noticed that she wasn't eating. Olivia had picked off the peppers from her pizza, and Elliot automatically reached over and appropriated them, sprinkling them over his slice. Olivia smiled at this, and Maureen suddenly noticed just how beautiful she was. She was strong and graceful, with glowing skin and lovely dancing eyes. And she was eating with gusto and pleasure.  
  
Maureen ended up finishing two and a half pieces of pizza, and finally all three of them sat back, full and glad. "Maureen, when does Christmas break start for you, again?" asked Elliot, as he handed his card to the waiter.  
  
"Two weeks from Thursday," replied Maureen, who had the moment she would be finished with finals circled and starred on her calendar.  
  
"Are you going to come home anytime between now and then?"  
  
"Maybe. Dickie and Liz have that Christmas play thing next weekend, remember? Mom wants me to come to that."  
  
"Yeah, that would be nice," said Elliot, signing the receipt. They rose from the table.  
  
"Thanks for dinner, Dad," said Maureen. "Nice to see you, Olivia."  
  
Olivia smiled. "Good luck with your exams."  
  
Elliot hugged Maureen again and rubbed her upper arms. "You should be wearing more clothes," he said. "You're going to freeze on the way home. Be careful."  
  
She rolled her eyes and laughed. "I'll be fine, Dad." They headed outside and parted ways with another round of goodbyes. Maureen braced herself against the wind as she walked to the subway entrance. This time she had to wait a few minutes for her train, and she thought about her dad while she stood on the platform.  
  
He was so protective, and always had been, she reflected. Especially of her, even more than Kathleen or the twins. When she was younger it had really been a pain, because it had been such a struggle to get any freedom. She knew part of it was being the oldest, but when she was about sixteen Kathy had pointed out that Elliot also couldn't help remembering how he'd felt about her when they were teenagers, and he figured boys were looking at Maureen, who looked so much like her mother, the same way.  
  
He was probably right, she thought, although by now she knew she wasn't going to end up like them, stuck with a surprise baby before they even realized they'd arrived at the doorstep of adulthood.  
  
Some of it had to be his job, she thought as she stepped onto the train and sat down in the orange plastic seat. A lot of her friends thought it was cool that her father was a police detective instead of something boring, but she read the papers – she knew some of the sick things Elliot was probably seeing every day.   
  
Once during her senior year in high school she and her dad had been watching the news and there had been a top story about a serial rapist her dad's department had just caught, finally, in the park. They showed some pictures of some of his victims, including one young woman who was blonde and smiling. Maureen had been wishing the news would get to the weather because she had outside plans with her boyfriend for the weekend when she realized Elliot was staring down at her. She had been sitting with her head against his shoulder, and he was examining her face, his body tense. As Maureen left the subway station near her dorm, she remembered that she had laughed and made a joke about how he was creeping her out. But she still thought about it a lot. 


	3. Chapter 3

Hudson University Freshman Housing/ December 2/ 6:33 PM  
  
*****  
  
As Maureen climbed the stairs to her dorm room on the third floor, she was thinking about what homework she had to do that evening. She didn't really have that much … maybe she would work for an hour or so and then go to the gym for awhile.  
  
There was a note on her bed from Tessa that read "M – Babysitting at Pressman's … be back by 9. Love, T." Maureen wrinkled her nose – Professor Pressman, from what she'd heard, was really a jerk. She wished Tessa wasn't so worried about her grade in his class that she was willing to babysit for a guy dating a nineteen-year-old behind his perfectly nice wife's back. Tessa had said the wife and the kids were really sweet, too. Yuck. It was like a soap opera. A repulsive one.  
  
Maureen sat down at her desk and pulled out her assignment book. Tomorrow was Wednesday – that meant she didn't have class until eleven, and nothing major except a Spanish quiz in the afternoon that she knew she'd ace. She didn't even want to THINK about finals yet … she had plenty of time to get ready for those. Hmmm … maybe she could try to write some poetry for that poetry class …  
  
THUNK THUNK THUNK!! "Come in," called Maureen, and before she knew it a herd of guys from the second floor had poured into her room, bearing water bottles covered with duct tape and enormous Cheshire Cat grins. Maureen laughed, sitting back in her desk chair and shaking her head. "You guys! It's Tuesday –"  
  
"Hey, Maureen," said one named Charlie, cutting her off. "Tuesday has a boring reputation, I know."  
  
"So we thought we'd help it out a little," Dustin chimed in.  
  
"Ha!" scoffed Maureen, teasing them. "Don't you guys have work?"  
  
"This is college, Maureen, not hell," replied Oliver. "Where's Tessa? You guys need to do a little drinking with us." Hector and Dominic raised their bottles, waving them enticingly.  
  
"Tessa's babysitting, not that she would drink on a weeknight anyway," said Maureen. She got up from the chair. "And I have a Spanish quiz tomorrow."  
  
All of the guys started to make grumbling noises, but Maureen, thoroughly enjoying herself, held up one finger. "However," she began.  
  
"What?" asked Dustin.  
  
"You're in luck, because as it turns out, I am very, very good at Spanish."  
  
*****  
  
9:38 PM  
  
*****  
  
Not surprisingly, the evening flew by. Maureen had headed downstairs with the guys to Hector's room at first, but after a half hour or so they'd realized their RA was making the rounds. The third floor was safer because the RA almost never checked on the girls, so they returned to Maureen's room.  
  
By eight-fifteen or so she had been pretty drunk, but Maureen was a fairly careful drinker, especially on a Tuesday night, and when she was the only girl. She knew there was no way she could drink like any of these big guys, so she'd slowed down. She had ended up sitting on her bed next to Oliver, who was surreptitiously stroking the bare skin on her back between her shirt and the waistband of her jeans. She was letting him, for now – he was nice and definitely cute.   
  
Now the guys were getting a little restless, fiddling with the music and rumbling about getting some food. Charlie looked up at Maureen. "Hey, when is Tessa supposed to get back?" His eyes were a little bleary, she could see, and he was enunciating very carefully.  
  
She felt a little fuzzy herself. "Uhhh …" she looked at the clock. "Hey, like forty-five minutes ago." She sat up straight, a little worried.   
  
"Weird," said Oliver.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Maureen. "She's at Professor Pressman's, too."  
  
"Ugh," said Charlie. "What a dick."  
  
They all sat quietly for a minute, everyone who had had freshman English with Professor Pressman bitterly remembering unfair exams and long, droning lectures.  
  
"Hey," said Oliver suddenly. "I know where he lives!"  
  
They all looked at him, surprised. "You do?" asked Maureen. "Why?"  
  
"His apartment's like four blocks from here," he said. "I had to go there once to bitch at him about my midterm grade."  
  
"Well, hell," said Charlie, getting up. "Let's go over there!"  
  
Everyone started to collect their jackets, but Maureen wasn't sure this was such a good idea. "You guys," she protested. "What if somebody sees us going over there? We look like a bunch of stupid drunks. And what are we going to do when we get there? Throw rocks at the windows?"  
  
Charlie was single-minded with determination, however. "It'll be fine. We'll just get Tessa. She shouldn't have to stay so late at that dickhead's house."  
  
Maureen still wanted to argue, but formulating the thoughts was not so easy. And she was a little worried about Tessa. Finally, she sighed and followed the guys down the hall.  
  
Outside the temperature had plunged even lower, and Maureen tried to keep warm by walking in between Oliver and Charlie. The four-block walk didn't seem as long as it should have; Maureen felt vaguely like she was floating. The guys were laughing raucously and shoving each other lightly. Fleetingly, she pictured what might happen if they all got stopped by the police or something crazy like that – they were all underage, and she could just picture her dad's face …  
  
As they rounded the corner that would take them to the professor's building, they all slowed, wordlessly. Rather than the quiet, evening street that they had expected, the area was awash with lights. Almost a dozen police cars were parked haphazardly along the curbs in front of the building Oliver said was the Pressmans'; uniformed cops were swarming everywhere.  
  
Maureen could feel her eyes getting larger. Her stomach lurched … TESSA …  
  
Her breath caught when she spied a familiar figure, tall and slim with short dark hair, standing in the pool of light nearest the entrance. She was talking with a man, taking notes. And right behind her was Maureen's father.  
  
TBC 


	4. Chapter 4

author's note: Thanks for all the comments and encouragement, everybody. In response to a couple: these chapters seem to be turning out short, I think because I'm attempting to internalize the rhythm of the show, which is often sort of abrupt. BUT, I'm trying to balance this out by updating OFTEN! And I think maybe they'll get longer. Thanks for reading and for your support.  
  
*****  
  
Outside the apartment of Eric and Melanie Pressman/ December 2/ 10:02 PM  
  
*****  
  
Impulsively, Maureen turned to the group of guys surrounding her, her heart thudding in her chest. "Hey, you guys should go home before you get in trouble or something."  
  
"What?" said Oliver, incredulously. "Like we're going to leave you here with all that going on?" He pointed at the zoo of police activity.  
  
Charlie looked ready to charge into the building. "Yeah, seriously, Maureen. Let's go find out what happened to Tessa!"  
  
Her head was, finally, becoming clearer by the second. "You guys. Look over there." She pointed to her father and Olivia, on the sidewalk by the entrance. "That's my dad and his partner."  
  
This was enough to shut all of them up. They stared. Charlie looked up at the building, wondering which blazing windows Tessa was behind.   
  
Maureen watched all of their faces pale underneath the streetlights. "Yeah. And they work for the Special Victims Unit, not just the regular police. Which means something seriously bad is going on."  
  
"Bad with Tessa, do you think?" asked Hector, swallowing.  
  
"I don't know," answered Maureen, hoping that the assumption they had all made was wrong and that it was one of the other tenants in the building who was warranting all this police attention. "But, listen. I'm going to ask my dad, but he would NOT want all of you guys to be hanging around."  
  
Finally, she could see her logic and skills of persuasion beginning to penetrate their slightly drunken skulls. "Well …" said Charlie, starting to back away.  
  
"Are you sure you'll be okay here? With your dad here and all?" said Oliver, and Maureen couldn't help being touched by the real concern she could hear in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, you guys. I'll be fine. And I'll find out about Tessa." She spun away as they all began walked reluctantly back the way they'd come.   
  
As she strode along the sidewalk toward Elliot and Olivia, Maureen took a big breath. What if Tessa was hurt? Or worse …? What if this had nothing to do with Tessa at all and she had to explain to her dad why she was wandering the streets of Manhattan at ten o'clock on a Tuesday night? This was not going to be good.  
  
Amid the confusion, noise, and lights flashing into the darkness, Olivia spied her first. As she walked up, Maureen could see the detective's brow furrow in concern and bewilderment. "Maureen? What are you –"  
  
Elliot was talking to a uniformed police officer. "– yeah, we just got here. Keep the parents separated if you can do that. And we'll need to talk to the babysitter ASAP."   
  
The babysitter. Tessa.  
  
Elliot turned to confer with Olivia, and in doing so realized who was standing there in front of his partner. "Maureen?!"  
  
She could no longer contain herself; the panic took over. "It's the Pressmans, isn't it? What happened to Tessa? Is she okay? Dad, don't be mad –"  
  
But Elliot was so overwhelmed with shock at seeing Maureen that he barely heard what she said. "Maureen. You cannot be here. This is a crime scene – what are you DOING here in the middle of the night?!" His voice was getting louder and his face was flushing redder. She had the distinct and familiar urge to cover her ears.   
  
Olivia, however, had recognized the name. "Elliot, hold on. Maureen, why are you asking about Tessa? Tessa, your roommate?"  
  
Maureen felt her throat becoming hot and thick with worry, against her will. "Yes! Tessa is the babysitter!" she choked out. "Is she okay? What happened?"  
  
Finally, Elliot realized what she was saying, and he and Olivia looked at each over Maureen's head.   
  
"Maureen, you need to stay here," said Elliot, his voice calmer and grave with authority. "Olivia and I were called because something has happened to one of the children at the Pressmans' apartment – we don't know much else yet, okay? We're going upstairs to check out the scene. I will definitely talk to Tessa, and we'll make sure she's okay. All right?"  
  
Maureen was quivering, partly from cold and partly from fear, but she nodded. At least they weren't there to investigate Tessa's murder or something, for God's sake …  
  
Another detective pulled Elliot aside just then, and Olivia turned to Maureen. "You're freezing," she said, and Maureen realized her teeth were beginning to chatter. Olivia took her gently by the upper arm and led her over to one of the uniformed cops, who was standing by his patrol car. "Maureen, this is Officer Chapman," she said, giving the man a look. He understood immediately what she was asking, and opened the door of his car so Maureen could slide into the passenger's seat. The heat was cranked mercifully high, and almost immediately her fingers began to unstiffen.  
  
Before she shut the door, Maureen looked up at Olivia. "What happened to the Pressmans' kid?" she asked, picturing the two little girls that Tessa had described as cute, funny and imaginative.   
  
Olivia's face darkened. "Uh, we're not sure yet," she said. "That's what we need to go up and find out." She smiled reassuringly at Maureen and walked away toward the building, but Maureen could hear in her voice that she knew much more than she was saying.  
  
Sitting in the dark patrol car, Maureen looked out at the scene, which was alive and buzzing with procedure and conversation. The radio in the car was loud and fuzzy; she could barely understand it. Briefly, she was glad that Elliot hadn't thought to ask her if she'd been drinking – but then her mind turned back to what might be happening to Tessa, and the terrible things somebody sick might do to a little girl. 


	5. Chapter 5

Apartment of Eric and Melanie Pressman/ December 2/ 10:22 PM  
  
*****  
  
The fourth-floor apartment that Elliot and Olivia entered was filled with uniformed people, their official air robbing the place of its comfortable modesty. Surveying the scene, they saw that the activity was centered around one of the small bedrooms down the hall, where people were busy measuring, dusting for fingerprints, and collecting samples.   
  
The two distraught parents were sitting together on a sofa on the living room, the mother cradling a dark-haired little girl, about three years old, who was sound asleep. Olivia and Elliot looked at each other before she went to speak with them while Elliot headed for the kitchen to find Tessa.  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Pressman?" Olivia asked, pulling up a nearby chair. "I'm Detective Benson; my partner and I will be investigating your daughter's case." Both of the parents looked at her with that particular brand of vulnerable desperation and horror that she'd come to dread so much. "Can you tell me what happened?"  
  
The pair looked at each other, then turned back to Olivia. "They've taken Nina to the hospital," began Eric. "She was attacked–"  
  
"—And they won't let us go with her!" cried Melanie, her grip on the child in her arms tightening involuntarily. "I need to be with my daughter," she pleaded.  
  
"All right, Mrs. Pressman," Olivia said. She didn't say so, but there had to be a reason why the vice cops had detained these parents instead of letting them go with their daughter. She would try to get some information from them, but they were going to be much more helpful once some of the first panic wore off. "I just need to ask a few questions and then we'll get you to the hospital immediately."  
  
Both of them nodded. "Okay," began Olivia. "How old is Nina?"  
  
"She's five," replied Eric. "This is her sister, Maya." He motioned at his younger daughter.  
  
"How did she look when you found her?"  
  
They looked at each other again. "We didn't find her," said Melanie. "I was at work and Eric was at a department meeting. It was our babysitter, Tessa, who found her." Her eyes filled up. "She said … she couldn't stop talking about the blood … who would do this?!"  
  
Olivia could see that neither of the Pressmans, especially Melanie, was going to hold up for much questioning right now. "Can you provide me with some contact information for someone who can confirm where both of you were in the last few hours?"  
  
Eric wrote down the phone number of another professor at the university who had been at the English department meeting, and Melanie said they could speak with anyone in the PICU unit at the hospital – she was a pediatrician and had been in the middle of her shift when she'd been called about Nina. With this information to follow up on, Olivia sent the Pressmans to the hospital to be with their daughter, accompanied by two uniformed policemen.  
  
Before Olivia went to examine the crime scene and hear reports about the evidence that had been found, she went to find Elliot in the kitchen. He was sitting at the table with the girl she presumed to be Tessa. Not surprisingly, she was red-eyed and looked terrified – she was all but curled up in a ball in the chair. Tessa's senses were on heightened alert and she was startled by Olivia's approach, looking up sharply.  
  
"This is my partner, Detective Benson," said Elliot. He turned to Olivia. "Did you get anything from the parents?"  
  
"Negative – I sent them to the hospital. Last report I got said the little girl is in surgery … I'm sure they want to be there when she gets out. We'll have to go there to talk more with them."  
  
Tessa's face was pinched and pale. "Oh, God …" she said. She looked up again. "Did they have Maya with them?" she asked Olivia.  
  
"The younger daughter? Yeah – she was asleep. She looked fine," replied Olivia, noticing the slight relief this brought to Tessa's features.  
  
Elliot got up from the table. "Okay, Tessa," he said, "why don't you sit tight – I don't think it'll be much longer. Can I get you anything?" She shook her head, staring down at her hands, her face haunted.  
  
Elliot followed Olivia to the living room, where they sat on the sofa to exchange notes. "I got basically zilch from the parents," said Olivia. "Except for alibis we need to check out. What did Tessa tell you?"  
  
"Well, the kid is freaked," replied Elliot. "But she held it together enough to tell me what happened. She came over to babysit at about six. Mom was at work, Dad was just leaving. He said Nina's been sick all day with a bad cold – she's already asleep and will probably stay that way. Tessa said he took her to the bedroom door and they both looked in, and Nina looked perfectly fine, tucked in. Tessa spent the evening with Maya, playing. She said they had the music turned up some of the time because Maya loves to dance. Nina didn't make a peep all night – Tessa says she always sleeps like a rock."  
  
He looked down at his notes. "About eight-thirty, Tessa gave Maya a bath and put her to bed. She went in to check on Nina, who looked the same. She went closer, thought she might check if the kid had a fever. Up close, she didn't look right – real pale, bluish lips. She tried to wake her up, but couldn't. Finally she pulled the covers back and saw blood soaking the bed – so, apparently violent sexual assault."  
  
"Then she called 911?"  
  
"Yep – Eric came home in the middle of the call and he called Melanie at work. Paramedics got Nina to the hospital and she'll probably be in surgery for awhile. Not guaranteed to make it."  
  
Olivia's years of training and experience had, of course, been designed to harden her against just this kind of abominable violence. But she still couldn't help feeling vaguely sick at the thought of this five-year-old child being ripped apart in her own bed. And looking at Elliot, she could see the same distaste on his face.   
  
The two of them went down the hall to check out the scene. The small bedroom was decorated in lavender and there were dolls and stuffed animals in every corner. The lead investigator told them, "The window was unlocked, and there's a fire escape right outside. Tons of fingerprints, but I'm betting they'll all turn out to be the family. No hair, no semen, but we'll be waiting on the rape kit."  
  
Elliot went to the window to look at the fire escape and the dark street below, and noticed the bloodstain that had spread over the lavender sheets, angry and dark. A lot of blood for a little girl that size.  
  
Olivia was behind him. "Elliot, they're going to secure everything here … we need to get to the hospital."  
  
He nodded, then paused, remembering Tessa. And Maureen, who was still outside in a patrol car. He grimaced. "I hate sending Tessa and Maureen back to that dorm room by themselves."  
  
"Does Tessa have any family in the city?"  
  
"No, they're all in California, as far as I know."  
  
"Why don't you send them back to your house?"  
  
Knowing that Kathy would do everything she could for the traumatized Tessa, he nodded. Bitterly, he realized that despite all of his best intentions, he still couldn't stop the violence from touching his family. 


	6. Chapter 6

author's note: I must warn you – as the plot thickens, it is getting more graphic. Not more so than the show … not that that means much. Thanks again for the comments!  
  
*****  
  
Hudson University Medical Center/ December 2/ 11:12 PM  
  
*****  
  
When Elliot and Olivia reached the hospital, Nina was still in surgery, but they were able to speak with the doctor who had first assessed and treated her in the emergency room. "She's incredibly lucky that she didn't bleed out completely," said Dr. Campbell, a petite woman with freckles and tired eyes. "She went into shock, which is probably what saved her."  
  
"Did you have time to do a rape kit?" asked Elliot.  
  
She nodded. "Quickly. Obviously, she was penetrated, but no semen or hair. I'm certain that the rapist also used a blunt object, maybe like the handle of a tool or a paintbrush, it's hard to say. This was so violent that the scope of the damage goes beyond the usual bruising and rape trauma … they'll be able to tell you more up in surgery."  
  
Olivia and Elliot nodded, both noting the fury hidden beneath the surface of the doctor's clinical words. As they turned to find the elevator, she stopped them. "Detectives."  
  
Both of them looked into her blue eyes, which were icy and snapping. "This is an animal that you need to catch."  
  
"It's absolutely our top priority," said Elliot.  
  
"I know Nina's mom – she does a lot of good for a lot of kids upstairs. Whoever did this tore into that child like a piece of meat."  
  
Olivia looked at Elliot before answering. "We can give you our word," she said, meeting the woman's gaze and knowing that such a promise was vastly insufficient, "we're going to get him."  
  
Three floors up, they were informed by a nurse that Nina had just come out of surgery and was in post-op, but that she wasn't expected to regain consciousness anytime soon. She had received multiple blood transfusions and the surgery had revealed that the rape had caused extensive external and internal trauma as well as intestinal perforation. The most immediate concern was infection from this damage.  
  
Briefly, the detectives looked in at Nina herself – the first time they had actually laid eyes on this fragile, innocent victim. She looked much like her little sister amid the maze of tubes and machines, they noticed, with shiny dark hair and high cheekbones. Both were remarkably beautiful children.  
  
But Nina could tell them nothing.  
  
Olivia and Elliot found her parents alone with their three-year-old in one of the waiting rooms, the two uniformed officers trying to hover inconspicuously out in the hall. "Mr. and Mrs. Pressman, this is my partner, Detective Stabler," said Olivia as they both sat down.  
  
Maya was awake now, and regarded Olivia thoughtfully, with enormous dark eyes, from the cradle of her mother's arms. Elliot wished she didn't have to be there while they questioned her parents, but she was so little and exhausted that he knew handing her off to someone else would be stressful for everyone involved. "I'm truly sorry about what's happened to your daughter," he began carefully.  
  
"Thank you," whispered Melanie, the small muscles along the line of her jaw flickering.  
  
"I know this is difficult," said Olivia, "but can either of you think of anyone that would want to hurt you or your children?"  
  
"No, there's no one," said Melanie immediately. Elliot thought Eric looked less certain about this, although he nodded along with his wife.   
  
"Maybe you've seen someone strange watching you and the girls? At the park or on the way to school? It might be relevant even if it didn't seem like it at the time."  
  
Neither could think of anyone fitting this description. Eric looked up, his face stormy. "It could be just a random attack, couldn't it? One of the thousands of complete sickos in this damned city. We don't know anybody that would commit an atrocity like this," he spat out.  
  
Elliot had to concede that this wasn't outside the realm of possibility, but it didn't strike him as likely, either. Olivia agreed; although neither of them said so to the Pressmans, the kind of violence that had been unleashed on their daughter didn't seem random and impersonal, but distinctly like vengeance.   
  
Before long a surgeon came to tell the Pressmans that they could see Nina, and Elliot and Olivia let them go. It was inevitable that their lives were going to be invaded starting tomorrow, but for what remained of tonight they needed to be left alone with their wounded child.  
  
The detectives took this opportunity to visit the PICU, where they received several glowing reports about Melanie. Everyone they spoke to said she was universally loved, a talented doctor who had made the difference for many families with very sick kids.  
  
"I can't believe this has happened to Nina," said Dr. Long, a resident who had worked with Melanie for a few years and had met both of her daughters. "She's a terrific kid, they both are. She's articulate, compassionate, friendly."  
  
"Can you think of any patients Dr. Pressman has had recently whose families might be harboring a grudge against her?" asked Elliot. "Anything like that?"  
  
"Well, the truth about the PICU is that lots of kids suffer here," he said gravely. "And a lot of them die … Melanie is uncommonly good at making it as easy as possible." He confided, "I can show you the information on some of her recent charts, though. Normally I'd want to make you get a warrant first, but considering …" The same look of bitter distaste that had been in the ER doctor's eyes flickered across his face.  
  
Elliot and Olivia took this evidence and finally went to the surgical floor once more to see if Nina's condition had changed. It hadn't – she was still unconscious but stable.   
  
In the elevator, Elliot punched the button for the first floor. "What do you think, Liv?" In the relative privacy of the box, both of them allowed some of their official stiffness to dissipate in favor of the fatigue that was beginning to set in: Elliot leaned back against the far wall and Olivia sighed, rubbing her eyes.  
  
She considered. "I sure wish we had more physical evidence. There's not much more we can do now … I think we should check to see if the guys canvassing the area around the apartment have turned anything up. Other than that, I'd say we should call it a night. Tomorrow's going to be a long day. We need to follow up on those alibis and find out more about the parents, especially Eric."  
  
Elliot nodded, thinking about what he was going to say to Kathy. He'd called her briefly to let her know that Maureen and Tessa were on their way, but she was definitely going to require more explanation than that. He worked so hard to keep her separate from almost everything that happened at work that the occasions when they did have to discuss it were always difficult and labored.  
  
Olivia watched him. "You need to get home," she said, surprising him yet again with her ability to read his thoughts.  
  
TBC 


	7. Chapter 7

Home of Elliot and Kathy Stabler/ December 3/ 10:34 AM  
  
*****  
  
The watery winter sunlight was already streaming into Maureen's bedroom when she finally opened her eyes. The house was quiet and still, the rush and commotion of the morning routine long over. She looked at the clock – she was definitely going to miss her history class. It was a big lecture, though … hopefully it wouldn't be a big deal.  
  
The events of the night before came tumbling back as she yawned and stretched her back and calves, and she turned over to look at Tessa, lying next to her in the bed. She looked perfectly peaceful, but Maureen began remembering the half-dozen times Tessa had woken up since they'd finally made it to bed around one. Each time, she had muttered feverishly and then startled them both awake, gasping. At around four, Maureen had woken to see Tessa fumbling frantically through the blankets, looking for something. "What is it?" Maureen had whispered, her voice stopping Tessa's search.  
  
She had sat back, finally lucid. "The bloodstain," she had said clearly. "I can't stop it." Then they had both settled back among the pillows and eased into another round of light, restless sleep.  
  
Now Maureen watched as Tessa's eyelids flickered and eventually opened. Tessa gazed back at her, her green eyes clear, and then a shadow crossed them as she remembered too.  
  
She turned onto her back, looking up toward the ceiling, or perhaps heaven. "What time is it?"   
  
"Just past ten-thirty," replied Maureen, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.  
  
Normally, this would have rocketed Tessa into a panic because she had missed a class too, but this morning she just sighed. The class she had missed was, in fact, Professor Pressman's – it wasn't like he was there to mark her absent, she realized. "Do you think your parents are home?"  
  
"I'm sure my dad's at work … my mom drives Dickie and Lizzie to school but she might be home. Or she could be at the store. I'm sure she'll drive us back to campus when we want, though." She eyed Tessa – would she even want to go back to campus?  
  
"I bet I'll have to talk to the police some more," remarked Tessa, matter-of-factly. "Especially if Nina dies."  
  
Maureen was a bit shocked. "Tess, I'm sure she's going to be fine. My dad said last night that she made it out of surgery, remember?"  
  
"Yeah." Tessa looked doubtful and resigned. "You didn't see her, though."  
  
Maureen could say nothing in response to this, although Tessa's descriptions and her nightmares had given her some idea. She rolled out of the bed and examined her chin in the mirror above the bureau – that zit was still threatening to erupt. "I guess this is the end of Professor Pressman's affair with that student, isn't it?"  
  
"Why, what do you mean?"  
  
"Well, obviously his wife had to have found out that he was with her."  
  
"I'm sure he just told her he was at an English department meeting – that's what he always tells her if she asks."  
  
Maureen turned, surprised. "Didn't you tell the police the truth?"  
  
Tessa sat up. "I told them he was at a department meeting – that's what he told me I'm supposed to say."  
  
"Yeah, but Tessa, this is a police investigation! You have to tell them what you really know."  
  
"No! I can't tell them! What does it matter where he was? If I told, Melanie would know. And she would leave him. And then Nina and Maya would get stuck in the middle of all kinds of horrible stuff."  
  
Maureen understood what Tessa was saying, and she also knew that Tessa and her brother had suffered through a messy divorce when they were younger. "But what if the police find out that you lied?" The police, she realized, translated most directly to her father and Olivia.  
  
"I didn't really lie … that's where he told me he was."  
  
"Tessa, everybody knows that he's screwing Lacey Goldstone!"  
  
"So? What difference does it make? That doesn't have anything to do with what happened to Nina!" She could feel the panic welling up in her throat and Nina's pale, bruised face reappeared in her consciousness. She was afraid she might never be able to dislodge it.  
  
Maureen could see her getting upset again and so she stopped arguing. She started rummaging around in her bureau – most of her clothes were at school but she still had a few things at home. "Want to borrow something to wear? Or you could borrow something of Kathleen's; she won't care as long as we bring it back."  
  
"Yeah, okay," agreed Tessa, calming down for the moment. "I guess we should get back to campus. You have a Spanish quiz, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah," replied Maureen. "But I'm pretty sure I could make it up if you'd rather just chill out here today, or go to the park or something. It's not like we don't have a good excuse."   
  
It was completely unlike Tessa to agree to skip a class – and Maureen had tried more than a few times over the course of the term – but this morning she smiled wanly in relief and curled back up under the blankets.  
  
Maureen was fairly disturbed by this uncharacteristic behavior. She badly wanted Tessa to be okay – of course what had happened to Nina was totally horrible, but she hoped Tessa would feel better soon. She tried to think of what could help. "If you want, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if you called home today, to talk to your mom."  
  
She propped herself up on one elbow. "Okay … maybe I will."  
  
"I'm going to see if my mom is around. Just yell if you need anything." Maureen headed down the stairs, but she found the house empty. Her mom was probably at the grocery store or something. Last night Kathy had been awake when the patrol car brought them to the house, but the others had already been asleep.   
  
Kathy had tried unsuccessfully to feed them, but both Maureen and Tessa were too jumpy to eat anything. She had sat with them under the yellow lights at the kitchen table while Maureen poured out an account of what had happened – leaving out the part where she had been drinking. Tessa had stared into the cup of tea Kathy had set before her, saying nothing. Finally, she had remarked, "I wish she would have screamed. Maya was dancing and the music was on, but I would have heard her if she'd screamed."  
  
Maureen had not been sure what to say, but Kathy had just reached for Tessa's hand – there was nothing anyone could say. Before long, Elliot had stumbled in, exhausted, but bearing the good news that Nina had come out of surgery.  
  
Now, Maureen wished her mother was home. She didn't really want to give away Tessa's secret, and she knew why she hadn't said where Professor Pressman really was, but she couldn't seem to suppress her instinct that maybe it really did matter. She didn't know the man very well beyond all the talk about what a jerk he was in general, but she couldn't help thinking there was something disturbing about a guy who would lie about where he was while his five-year-old daughter was being raped. 


	8. Chapter 8

Special Victims Unit Headquarters/ December 3/ 11:05 AM  
  
*****  
  
"…call us if there is. Okay, thank you," said Olivia, hanging up the phone. She grabbed the edge of her desk with her fingertips and pushed back slightly in her chair. "The hospital says no change with Nina," she announced.  
  
"Kid's going to teach us a little patience," remarked Munch cryptically as he poured a cup of coffee. "Good for her." Olivia regarded him quizzically, then turned back to her partner.   
  
Elliot blew out a breath. "I talked to the investigator from the scene last night and he says they're still processing everything, but it doesn't look like anything from the bedroom is going to help us much. He'll check in with us if they hear anything new, though."  
  
Just then, the door to Cragen's office burst open and the captain came striding out. "The media is definitely running with this one, people," he declared, his brow furrowed. "Where are we?"  
  
Fin looked up from his notes. "Uniforms canvassed the neighborhood last night and this morning," he said. "Nobody saw anything funny, they said. Definitely not a guy catfooting his way up the fire escape on that building."  
  
Cragen considered. "I'd rather have that information by way of my own detectives," he said. "Munch and Fin – make sure none of the neighbors is conveniently forgetting something important." The two nodded and gathered their coats and gloves before heading out because it was even colder out there than the day before.  
  
The captain turned to Elliot and Olivia. "What's your take on the parents?"  
  
Olivia crossed her arms across her chest. "Everything we've heard about Melanie indicates that she's about as good as they come. She's a great mom, a terrific doctor, nice to work with …"  
  
"Too perfect, do you think?"  
  
She thought hard. "I don't think so. We tried hard to find a weak spot, but there really doesn't seem to be one. I definitely don't think she has any idea who assaulted her daughter. We do need to look through her patient histories and see if there's anything there, though."  
  
"I'd agree with Olivia," added Elliot. "Melanie is for real. We don't know as much about Dad, though," he said, remembering Eric's minute hesitation last night when they'd asked about who might have attacked Nina.  
  
"Yeah," said Olivia. "We did check his alibi – he gave us the number of another professor in the English department, a Dr. Stillman Marlow. Talked to him and he confirmed that Eric was at the meeting."  
  
A shadow of doubt must have crossed Elliot's face, because Cragen asked, "What? Do you not believe him?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I guess I got sort of a weird vibe or whatever from Eric. I want to talk to other people from the department and find out if Dr. Marlow is the only witness who can place him there last night."  
  
"Okay," said the captain. "You guys can get on that this afternoon. What about the babysitter?"  
  
Elliot and Olivia exchanged a look – they hadn't yet shared the connection between Tessa and Maureen with Cragen. "What am I missing?" he asked.  
  
"Uh, the babysitter – Tessa – happens to be Maureen's roommate."  
  
Cragen blinked. "Maureen. Maureen, your daughter?"  
  
Elliot nodded. "And, uh, also, Maureen showed up at the scene last night."  
  
The captain was taken aback. "Uh huh," he said mildly. "And where are the two of them now?"  
  
"Ah, they're at the house. My house."  
  
Olivia spoke up. "That was kind of my idea," she interjected.  
  
Cragen looked at the two detectives, both of whom were peering up at him like puppies who had just made puddles on his living room carpet. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Right. Okay, well, it would be good if that never hit the papers, all right?" They nodded. "And it goes without saying that any interviewing of either of those girls needs to be with someone besides you," he added, pointing at Elliot.  
  
Elliot assented. "Also, Captain, Huang has been talking to the investigators who were at the scene and he's been working on a profile."  
  
"Oh? What does it look like?"  
  
"We haven't heard it yet either … he should be back before long."  
  
"All right, well, I have to go do some more media wrangling. In the meantime … you know what you need to do." He disappeared back into his office.  
  
Olivia did not envy the captain his job of dealing with the reporters. She looked at Elliot and feigned wiping sweat off her brow. "Whew."  
  
He chuckled. "Yeah. Although please pray with me that my daughter doesn't have to be interviewed by Munch for any reason, all right? She's argumentative enough as it is."  
  
She smiled. "I don't think that'll have to happen, do you? I'd say we need to talk to Tessa again to see if anything's surfaced in her memory this morning, though."  
  
"Yeah."   
  
"How did she seem last night? Did you see her when you got home?"  
  
"Uh huh, she and Maureen were up with Kathy. She was pretty shell-shocked, but I think she'll be okay."  
  
"And Maureen?"  
  
He smirked. "Oh, she's fine … she was doing all the talking last night. I'm still going to have to ask her what the hell she was doing on the street last night with alcohol on her breath, though. Didn't get a chance to do that yet."  
  
Olivia raised her eyebrows and was about to respond, but just then George Huang walked into the station, carrying a clipboard and looking disturbed. "Hey, what did you find out?" asked Olivia, turning in her chair to face him.  
  
He crossed his arms, pressing the clipboard to his chest. "You're looking for someone careful, determined, and experienced," he said. "The fact that he didn't leave any physical evidence in what was such an angry, risky crime scene tells me that he planned this and that it's probably not his first time."  
  
"Can you give us anything to plug into the database to see if we get any hits?"  
  
"Not really," he said. "I would bet that he's already spent time in prison, given the violence and deliberate care he took."  
  
"Great," said Elliot acerbically. "We shouldn't have any trouble narrowing down pedophiles who've been to jail and like to rape little girls."  
  
"Well, that's the thing," said Huang. "I don't think his experience is with little girls."  
  
Both Olivia and Elliot looked up, interested.  
  
"I don't think he took any pleasure in raping Nina," Huang continued. "He might enjoy the act of rape, but he was so violent and he damaged her body so deeply that I think his intent was specifically to injure her, perhaps even to the exclusion of his own pleasure."  
  
The wheels in Olivia's head were turning. "So there's no way that this guy targeted her randomly."  
  
Huang shook his head. "No," he said slowly. "This rape was an act of vengeance and rage."  
  
TBC 


	9. Chapter 9

Hudson University English Department Office/ December 3/ 1:24 PM  
  
*****  
  
With Elliot right behind her, Olivia approached the front desk of the English department and flashed her badge at the shaggy college kid sitting behind it. "Detectives Benson and Stabler," she said. "We need to speak with the head of the department."  
  
The kid's bleary eyes got really big, really fast. "Uhh … okay," he stammered, running his hand through his raggedy mop of hair. "That would be Professor Miles. Let me see if he's, uh, in. He might be in class." He picked up the telephone and dialed an extension, eying Elliot and Olivia cagily. "Hello, Professor Miles? This is Tucker, at the front desk. Yeah … uh, I have two detectives who are here to see you … uh, detectives … yeah, like, from the police." Elliot turned to Olivia and smirked.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I'll tell them. Okay." He hung up the phone. "He says he'll see you right now. His office is number 246, on the second floor." As they left, Olivia saw the kid breathe an enormous sigh of relief.  
  
In the elevator, Elliot pressed the number two button. "Good thing he at least had time to hide his bag of weed under the desk, huh?" he cracked.  
  
Olivia merely scoffed at him. "For all you know he could be one of Maureen's best pals," she pointed out, and then laughed when his face froze in an expression not unlike that of a deer caught in the headlights of a pickup truck.  
  
At Professor Miles' office, the detectives introduced themselves and sat down. "How can I help you?" he asked.  
  
"We're investigating the assault of the daughter of one of your faculty members," Elliot began, looking seriously at the fiftyish, bearded man behind the desk.  
  
The professor grimaced. "Yes, Eric Pressman's daughter. I just heard this morning," he said. "It's just terrible."  
  
"What can you tell us about Eric?" asked Olivia.  
  
He frowned. "I'm sure you don't think Eric …"  
  
"Professor, this is just standard procedure. We're trying to learn as much as we can about everyone involved."  
  
He nodded. "Well, Eric has been on the faculty for almost ten years … he's very well published in his field. He and Melanie got married maybe seven years ago, and then had the two girls. He's, uh, always been popular with the students."  
  
Olivia uncrossed her legs. "Was he in attendance at the department meeting last night?"  
  
Professor Miles was caught off-guard. "There … wasn't a department meeting last night. It's not until tomorrow afternoon."  
  
Olivia felt the hot rush that always came when an important clue fell into place, and she knew Elliot felt it too. She kept her voice steady and calm. "Can you think of any reason why he would say that's where he was?"  
  
The professor was white-faced. "No … no, I can't," he faltered. "I'm sure it's just a miscommunication."  
  
Elliot and Olivia stood up. "Well, thank you for your time, professor," Elliot said, giving him his card. "If you think of anything that might be relevant, please give us a call right away."  
  
The detectives rode the elevator back down to the first floor and then headed outside toward their car, parked in an empty faculty spot. Olivia hugged her coat around herself; it felt like Alaska out there. "Well, so we know Eric's full of it," she said, opening the driver's side door.  
  
"Yep," agreed Elliot as he slid into the passenger's seat. "Now I'm wondering where he really was, and what about it is such a secret that he would lie?"  
  
Olivia gave the car a moment to warm up. "I'm not getting that he's our doer, though, are you?"  
  
Elliot considered the impression he'd gotten of Eric, then shook his head. That would be too easy, he thought bitterly. Remembering the sight of Nina in the hospital bed, he realized how sick such a scenario would be, as well.  
  
His partner reversed the car and drove out of the parking lot. "Well, maybe it's not us that he's really lying to," she mused.  
  
Elliot looked over at her. "His wife?"   
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Why would he lie to his wife about his alibi?"  
  
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Well, if I was him, I might lie to my wife if I was out with another woman while she was hard at work saving terminally ill children all night."  
  
Elliot could see her point. "So he doesn't want everybody to know that he's busy cheating on Melanie while the girls were home with a babysitter and one of them was getting raped."  
  
"Yeah. Based on what we've seen of Eric, I think we can rule out violence – but not being total slime."  
  
He smiled: sometimes Olivia, in her succinctness, could put it so perfectly. "We need to talk to Eric again, separately from Melanie."  
  
"Yeah." She looked sidelong at him. "And you know who else might know where Eric really was and maybe who he was with?"  
  
It dawned on Elliot. "… Tessa." Dammit.  
  
She nodded.   
  
"I was really hoping we wouldn't have to put her through any more tough grilling." He sighed. "The sooner she can move on from this and get back to normal the better."  
  
Olivia was not yet sure that Tessa didn't have some vital information that they might need in their investigation. She also suspected that while Elliot was talking about Tessa, he really meant Maureen by extension, and was hoping to restore the distance between his job and his family that he had worked so hard to maintain. "Well, it's not you that's going to have to do it," she pointed out. "I think we need to check in with the captain and see what he says about talking to Eric; with all this media attention he's going to want to do it as delicately as possible."  
  
"All right. Maybe Munch and Fin will have turned something up in the neighborhood, too." He imagined a detailed report and description of a man climbing up the Pressmans' fire escape, and then realized that with their luck, he was certainly dreaming.  
  
Just then, as she was turning with the traffic on the way back to the station, Olivia's phone went off. "Benson." She listened, and Elliot watched her features sag momentarily. "Okay … thank you. Please keep us posted." She sighed painfully.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nina's running a fever … her doctor in the PICU says it's probably an infection from the bowel perforation. They've got her on antibiotics but they're not sure yet how she's going to handle it, and they can't operate again until she's more stable. Her parents are with her at the hospital."  
  
Elliot sighed too, echoing his partner. He felt vaguely ill, like he needed some fresh air. He cracked his window slightly and both detectives breathed in the burst of sharp coldness.  
  
TBC 


	10. Chapter 10

Special Victims Unit Headquarters/ December 3/ 2:38 PM  
  
*****  
  
Olivia was at her desk, flipping through the information that the PICU had given them about all of Melanie Pressman's recent patients. It was not exactly easy reading, especially since several of the children described were in their last days before death. One little boy had been seized by Children's Services in the last stages of fatal starvation and neglect. Three girls had been in a car accident that killed their mother – only one was ever released from the hospital. Others had been in various accidents or were suffering from awful diseases. Everything Olivia read, however, seemed to indicate that Melanie was an expert at treating their damaged bodies and comforting their grieving families, and nothing represented an obvious connection to Nina.   
  
Next she began reading through the notes that Fin and Munch had taken during their follow-up interviews of the Pressman neighbors. They hadn't found anything concrete, but at least two people had reconsidered and reported that it was possible that they had seen a strange man running down the street at about the right time. That was at least more interesting than the 'nothing' they'd insisted they'd seen when the uniforms spoke to them.  
  
Olivia was eager to get to the hospital and speak to Eric again, but she had to wait for Elliot to get back, hopefully in a few minutes – Captain Cragen had asked him to accompany him to the latest press conference about Nina's case.   
  
"Hey, John," she called to Munch, who was wolfing down a sandwich at his desk. "Is there anything worth mentioning about this neighbor who said she thought she heard somebody on the fire escape?"  
  
"She was a little nutty," admitted Munch.  
  
Fin nodded in agreement. "One of your standard Bathrobe Conspiracy Theorists," he said laconically, his eyes sliding across to his partner.  
  
Munch gave him a withering look. "She also reported seeing midnight meetings of the Mafia behind her dumpster for years." He cocked his head thoughtfully. "Not that she couldn't be right, since it's a well-known fact that …" his voice trailed off as he focused on something small and blonde across the room.  
  
Taken aback, Olivia turned to follow his gaze. There, to her surprise, stood Maureen, with Tessa behind her. Olivia hadn't thought it was possible for the girls to look more nervous and uncomfortable than they had the night before, but they did today in the station. She stood up to meet them. "Hi, Maureen," she said. "Hi, Tessa. Are you guys okay? Is there something I can help you with?"  
  
Tessa all but recoiled. Maureen took a deep breath. "Is my dad here?"  
  
"No, he isn't. But he should be back anytime, if you want to wait –"  
  
"No." Maureen squared her shoulders and took Tessa's hand. "Tessa has something she needs to tell, but she doesn't want to say it to my dad."  
  
Olivia searched Maureen's earnest, upturned face and Tessa's ashen, closed features. "Well, sure, okay. Let's go somewhere where we can talk, all right?" Maureen nodded, and Olivia steered the two of them into an interview room, looking over her shoulder at Munch and Fin to make sure they knew what was going on.  
  
Olivia sat the two girls at the table. "Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee?" Both shook their heads, and Olivia slid into a chair across from them. She watched them, noting that while she certainly looked worried, Maureen was as lovely and glowing as ever under the dim lights. Tessa, though, looked pale and exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes.   
  
Maureen touched Tessa's hand, gently. "Go on," she said under her breath. "Tell her."   
  
Tessa inhaled, and looked into Olivia's eyes. "Last night, I didn't –" But she stopped. Olivia saw something change in her green eyes, something harden.   
  
"You didn't what?" she prodded. But Tessa would say no more, and she simply looked at Maureen in apology, deflated.  
  
Olivia cleared her throat. "Tessa, listen," she began. "If you have information about what happened to Nina, you need to tell us. It could make a difference in whether we catch this guy." She caught Tessa's eye again. "Tessa, I know that you care about Nina."  
  
She looked back resolutely. "I do care about Nina," she said sincerely. "And I told Mr. Stabler everything I know about who attacked her last night."  
  
Maureen's jaw was hanging open. "Tessa," she hissed.   
  
Olivia took one last look at the two of them sitting before her and made a decision. "Okay, here's the deal. Maureen, I need you to give Tessa and me a couple of minutes."  
  
Neither of them looked happy about this. "But —" protested Maureen.  
  
"You can sit at my desk," Olivia insisted. "Or your dad's. There are plenty of people out there if you need anything."  
  
Reluctantly, Maureen rose and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Tessa watched her go, then turned back to Olivia.   
  
"Really," she started, "there's nothing else to tell."  
  
Olivia leaned back. "Why don't you tell me where Mr. Pressman really was last evening while you were babysitting?"  
  
Tessa lifted her chin. "He was at a department meeting. He's an English professor."  
  
Olivia shook her head calmly. "No, Tessa, he wasn't."  
  
"Of course he was. He was at his meeting and Dr. Pressman was at the hospital, working. She works a lot of nights," she continued. "That's why they need babysitters so much. Nina and Maya are really sweet kids, you know. The whole family is really sweet."  
  
"Do you know how serious it is to tell a lie to a police officer?"  
  
Tessa leaned forward, angry. "Yes! And I'm not lying – Professor Pressman told me he was at a department meeting, and so I'm sure that's where he was!"  
  
Olivia tried a different tactic. "So what did Maureen drag you in here for? She said you had something to tell. What was it?"  
  
Tessa said nothing, only crossed her arms and stared at the table.  
  
Olivia was quite frustrated by the obstinacy of this girl, but she also remembered the genuine concern for Nina and Maya she'd seen on her face. She was certain that Tessa knew where Eric had really been, and maybe even some other relevant details, but she was also sure that her motivations for keeping her silence were not malicious. Her demeanor had, so far, been very hesitant and submissive except when she was talking about the little girls.  
  
Olivia rested her chin on one hand. "Listen. The truth about Professor Pressman is going to come out, whether you tell me right now or not." Tessa sighed, but Olivia continued. "I know that you don't want to tell on him because of the girls."  
  
Tessa was visibly surprised by this insight. She said nothing, but a question rose to the surface of her eyes.  
  
"She's running a fever," Olivia answered. "It's pretty serious. But don't give up on her yet, okay?" Tessa nodded.  
  
Olivia glanced at the door. "I need you to go out and send Maureen in. And don't go anywhere until she's finished." Tessa winced at this, but obeyed.  
  
In came Maureen, visibly more assured than her roommate. She sat down in the chair still warm from Tessa. She scrutinized Olivia's face, boldly. "She didn't tell you, did she?" The detective didn't answer this, and Maureen expelled a huffy breath. "I hate this!"  
  
"It's pretty tough on her, isn't it?"   
  
"Yeah," agreed Maureen, grateful for the empathy in Olivia's voice. "I mean, think how terrible it would be to find a little girl all hurt like that, when she'd been fine just before?"  
  
Briefly, Olivia's mind zipped through the multitudes of young, ravaged victims she'd seen over the years, and marveled at Maureen's innocence. "She cares a lot about them, huh?"  
  
Maureen nodded. "She said they're really cute kids. They like to dance and sing and do artwork, I guess."  
  
Olivia leaned in further. "Maureen, I know Tessa's trying to protect Nina and Maya. So I need you to tell me – where was Professor Pressman last night?"  
  
The pretty jaw gaped. "Me?"   
  
Olivia nodded. "I know she's told you."  
  
"But I'm not going to betray my friend like that!"  
  
The detective was shaking her head again. "Maureen, this is not about betraying Tessa. I know you want to be loyal to her, and you can do that by being there for her while she deals with this. But right now, you need to think about that little girl. Her father was not at a department meeting last night. Where was he?"  
  
Maureen's throat was beginning to thicken, but she looked into Olivia's dark eyes and swallowed hard. "The bastard was with the student he's been dating."  
  
"What student?"  
  
"I don't know her. She's a sophomore."  
  
Olivia pressed harder. "What's her name?"  
  
This was Maureen's limit. "Lacey Goldstone," she choked out, and her face crumpled.  
  
Olivia let out the breath she'd been holding without realizing it, and both she and Maureen looked up at a noise. The door opened, and in walked Elliot, his face stormy.  
  
TBC 


	11. Chapter 11

So updating sure is harder when spring break is over, hmmm? Sorry I haven't been as regular … thanks to all of you who are sticking with me. I really, really appreciate the feedback and encouragement – please keep it coming!  
  
*****  
  
Trapped In Manhattan Traffic/ December 3/ 4:02 PM  
  
*****  
  
"I can't believe Maureen would keep a secret like that!" fumed Elliot, surveying the churning mess of cars in front of him. After calling Kathy to fill her in on the increasingly complicated situation and then persuading Maureen and Tessa to go back home, he had hoped to zip over to the hospital quickly to confront Eric about Lacey Goldstone. Apparently, though, the traffic gods had not meant for it to be.  
  
Olivia eyed his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel – she was really beginning to regret letting him convince her he was okay to drive. "Come on, Elliot. She didn't really keep it a secret," she pointed out. "She's the one who tried to get Tessa to tell the truth."  
  
He sighed disgustedly. "Yeah, Tessa. A whole other story!"  
  
"She's totally stressed out. I don't mean to blindly defend her, Elliot, but I really think she's just trying to protect those little girls. You told me her parents at home are divorced, right?"  
  
Elliot snorted. "How do you know she's not being loyal to Eric? He's already screwing one student – why not two?"  
  
Olivia rolled her eyes. "You don't really believe that." And he didn't, she was totally certain of that. Tessa had stayed with his family over Thanksgiving break and until this afternoon, he had always spoken very well of her, praising her good manners and studious dedication. And Olivia knew there was no way their instincts about this would be in such opposition, either.   
  
He sighed. "I guess. Maureen and I really, really need to have a talk as soon as I have a chance, though."  
  
*****  
  
Hudson University Student Housing/ December 3/ 4:10 PM  
  
*****  
  
Once Maureen had revealed Lacey Goldstone's name to Olivia, Munch and Fin had immediately begun work on identifying and locating her. Fin had called student services at the university, where the student worker on the phone had first informed him that there was no Lucy Goldstein enrolled at Hudson, much less living in one of their dorms. Valiantly, he had pressed on through the maze of incompetence and gotten the contact information they were looking for.   
  
Now, Munch and Fin climbed the stairs to the second floor of one of the dorms. Munch looked disparagingly at the grungy hallway and stained carpeting, bathed in sickly fluorescent lights. Fin employed his patented police intimidation knock on the door they had been informed was Lacey's.  
  
"What??" called a female voice, not sounding at all pleased at the disturbance.  
  
"This is the police," Fin snapped. "Open the door."  
  
The two detectives rolled their eyes at all the fumbling and thumping that came next, and the door was finally flung open by a long-haired blonde girl in a pink towel. In the cramped recesses of her darkened room lurked a tall young man, similarly attired.  
  
Munch flashed his badge. "Are you Lacey Goldstone?"  
  
She frowned. "Yeah."  
  
Fin pointed at her companion. "Who's that?"  
  
She turned to look at him, and they both shrugged, bewildered. "That's my boyfriend, Zack."  
  
Munch raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? Zack what?"  
  
At this, Zack finally came to the door, adjusting his towel. "Zack Colliver. Who wants to know?"  
  
Munch ignored him. "You know, Lacey, we were under the impression that you had a different boyfriend. One by the name of Eric Pressman."  
  
"That true?" Fin crossed his arms. Lacey's eyes widened and she pushed Zack back into the room, despite his loud protestations.  
  
She shut the door behind her. "Yeah, I've been going out with Eric. It's not serious or anything – he's a professor, you know. He has, like, kids. Two or three of them. Why are you asking me about him? What did he do?"  
  
The detectives exchanged a look. Fin asked, "Were you with him last night?"   
  
She hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, we went out to dinner in the Village. Sushi."   
  
"Do you know what happened to his kid while he was out having a good time with you?"  
  
Her face was blank. "His kid? Which one?"  
  
Fin shook his head, disgusted. "The older one. Nina. Somebody beat her up and raped her in her own bed."  
  
"What? Are you serious?!" She nearly dropped her towel.   
  
Munch pointed at the door. "Lacey, does your pal Zack know about your little extra credit plan with the good professor?"  
  
She leaned back against the door and heaved an enormous sigh. "Yeah. He found out a few days ago by accident, when he saw me leaving campus with Eric in his car. We had a really big fight about it. He was really pissed."  
  
"Not that pissed, apparently," deadpanned Munch, almost imperceptibly pulling an imaginary towel around his waist.  
  
"Well, it took some explaining, I guess," she admitted, totally missing Munch's little pantomime. "But I promised to break it off and now he's cool. Even though that means I'll fail that class for sure now." She bit her lip and pulled at her towel. "I've been trying to make it up to Zack, if you know what I'm saying."  
  
"Uh huh."   
  
Fin asked if Lacey had any ideas about who might have attacked Nina, but she said she didn't – in fact, she'd never even met her. She also hadn't heard from Eric since last night. The truth was, she'd even skipped his morning lecture … it was one of the perks.   
  
The detectives gave her a card and made her promise to call if she remembered anything, then assured her they would be in touch. Finally, they headed back down the filthy staircase and out into the wind.  
  
In the car, Fin called headquarters to report on what they'd found out, and received word that Elliot and Olivia were at the hospital, talking with Eric and Melanie. After he'd hung up, he felt a little repulsed at the thought of Eric dating students like Lacey on the sly, and said so to his partner.  
  
Munch agreed. "Yeah. But given the blankness of that girl's expression, you can see why she might feel the need to manipulate the curve … if you will."  
  
Fin shuddered. "She doesn't know anything about Nina, that's for sure," he said, and Munch nodded again.  
  
"Did they say anything about her condition?"  
  
"She's still in the coma, but it looks like the fever might be going down." Briefly, Fin entertained the slightly perverse thought that if a kid had to be in a coma, it might as well be at the moment that her mom found out her dad was cheating on her. At least she'd be spared the first of those fireworks.  
  
Just then his phone rang, and he flipped it open. He listened, said thank you, and turned back to Munch, his expression illuminated. "I think maybe there's somebody else who does know something about Nina, though."  
  
His partner raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"  
  
"Yep. Turns out our buddy Zack has a record – sexual assault, back when he was eighteen."  
  
TBC 


	12. Chapter 12

Well … it has been a long, great summer. But now it is over, and so I am back! I hope everyone hasn't forgotten me. Thanks to kukrae for the little push I discovered in my email last week! I would love some comments from everyone so I know you're reading and what you think.

* * *

Hudson University Medical Center/ December 3/ 4:31 PM

* * *

Elliot flipped his phone shut and turned to Olivia as they stepped onto the empty hospital elevator once again. "So Fin and Munch came through."  
  
"Oh?" Olivia punched the button that would take them to the PICU, where Nina had been moved just hours ago while everyone waited for her to come out of the coma.  
  
"Yep. They found Lacey Goldstone in the dorms at the university and she admitted to having the affair with Eric and being with him on Tuesday night."  
  
Olivia couldn't help picturing what Melanie's face would look like when she learned of her husband's fling with a student. "Is that it?"  
  
"Nope. Turns out Lacey isn't exactly Miss Fidelity either – she's got a boyfriend her age, too. And he had a little trouble with sexual assault a few years back."  
  
She raised one eyebrow. "Let me guess – the boyfriend recently found out about Lacey and Eric."  
  
"Bingo."  
  
The elevator's doors slid open and they headed for the nurses' station. One of the nurses there recognized them from the night before and all the phone calls and brightened. "Good news, detectives," she said. "Her fever's gone down."  
  
Olivia smiled, feeling a flood of real relief. Maybe this was the turning point for Nina and now she had a chance to be okay. "We're here to talk to her parents."  
  
"Okay, I can tell them you'd like to speak to them in the visitors' lounge."  
  
"Actually," interjected Elliot, "just her father. We need to speak to him alone first."  
  
In the lounge, Olivia and Elliot sat in the molded plastic chairs and waited for Eric to appear. They had chosen a far corner of the room; a smattering of visitors occupied a few of the other seats. Some held flowers and stuffed animals, several children were drawing with crayons. Everyone looked dazed and muted. Briefly, Elliot thought about the children they were visiting. Of all the PICU patients there, was Nina's story the worst? He didn't feel qualified to guess.  
  
Finally, Eric came in, looking exhausted and rumpled. He raised a hand in silent greeting and slid into a seat facing Elliot and Olivia.  
  
"We heard that Nina's fever went down," offered Olivia.  
  
He nodded. "Yeah, Mel says that's really good. Maybe she'll wake up soon – I don't know, she looks the same as this morning to me." He studied his hands, folded between his knees, then looked up at them. "What did you need to talk to me about?"  
  
Elliot took a big breath. "Eric, we know you weren't at a department meeting last night."  
  
He swallowed, watching them, then looked down again. "Okay." Olivia could see that he was totally drained – he didn't even have enough energy for convincing denial.  
  
"You were with Lacey Goldstone. Who is a sophomore student at Hudson. You've been seeing her for a few months."  
  
He sighed. "Did the sitter tell you?"  
  
Elliot skipped right over this – he saw no reason to tell Eric that Maureen was their real source of information. "This leaves us wondering why you would give us a false alibi."  
  
Eric's face jerked. "What are you saying? I was with Lacey. I lied to protect Melanie, not because I had anything to do with … this!"  
  
Olivia had to close her eyes momentarily to keep from rolling them … wouldn't he have protected his wife more effectively by not cheating on her in the first place? Disgusting.  
  
Eric was just getting started. "And what are you people doing, wasting time on my private life? It's completely irrelevant! Wouldn't that time be better used looking for my daughter's rapist?!" As he voice rose, several of the other people in the room looked over. One woman dropped the teddy bear she was clutching.  
  
"Calm down, Mr. Pressman." Olivia sat up straight and gazed at him, completely unruffled. "You might think your affair is irrelevant, but that may not be true."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Elliot sat back. "Do you know another Hudson University student named Zack Colliver?"  
  
He looked from one detective to the other. "No. He's never been in a class of mine. Why?"  
  
"We'll get you a picture of him soon to see if you know his face," replied Elliot.  
  
"Who is he? Do you think he raped Nina?"  
  
"He's Lacey Goldstone's boyfriend," said Olivia.  
  
Both detectives noted that Eric didn't seem all that surprised to hear that Lacey was involved with more than one man. His eyes probed Elliot's face. "Is he violent? Is that why he's a suspect?"  
  
Elliot hesitated for a moment. "…He has a history of sexual assault. He's being interviewed down at the station right now. But we don't have a lot of information about him yet, so he's not a suspect at this point."  
  
Eric sat back in the plastic chair, and what color remained in his tired face disappeared. "And if I hadn't been screwing Lacey, this never would have happened." He looked at them evenly. "Is that what you're saying?"  
  
Neither spoke; apparently, Eric had already decided on the answer to his own question. Olivia thought of something. "Whether or not he is connected to Nina's assault, we need to make sure all of you are safe. Where is your other daughter?"  
  
"She's here, she's fine. Mel knows all the nurses and everybody and they're really helping us out with Maya, thank God." He rubbed his temples and looked down at the discolored carpet. "What have I done to my family." His voice was curiously devoid of inflection. "This can't be a secret anymore if this is my fault … I have to tell Melanie."  
  
TBC 


	13. Chapter 13

Wow, it is so nice to be back! Thanks for all the kind words.

* * *

Special Victims Unit Headquarters/ December 3/ 4:51 PM

* * *

Don Cragen stationed himself in front of the one-way window looking into the interrogation room, where Zack Colliver sat calmly behind the table, his arms crossed and his face relaxed. "Forget it," he said to Munch. "I've been through this before."  
  
"Yeah, we got that already," replied Munch. "Why don't you tell me about the last time, save yourself a little trouble?"  
  
Zack chuckled. "Yeah, right. You brought me here because you have no real suspect and I'm the only guy around who's got the kind of history you're looking for."  
  
"And by history, you really mean rape," interjected Munch pointedly.  
  
Zack shook his head. "It didn't really happen the way everybody's thinking," he replied. "But believe me, I learned plenty from that whole mess. You're just going to have to be patient and wait for my lawyer." He looked at the ceiling.  
  
Cragen sighed – Munch was many things, but patient wasn't one of them. Nobody in his department seemed to have a surplus of that particular virtue. Just then, Huang slid into the room and peered through the window as well.  
  
Cragen studied Zack's boyish face, his freckles and shaggy strawberry blonde hair. Was he playing them? Plenty of deeply violent criminals didn't look the part. Was this clumsy college kid the sick bastard who had ripped Nina Pressman apart and left her to bleed to death?  
  
Huang seemed to read his thoughts. "I need to hear more from him. Once his lawyer gets here we can get him to say a little bit, hopefully at least how he really feels about Lacey Goldstone."  
  
"The apartment and the neighborhood are still being canvassed," said Cragen. "We might still get some DNA, and we've got enough motive to get a sample from Zack."  
  
Both turned back to the window, where they saw Munch in an uneasy stare-down with Zack. "That lawyer better get here soon," muttered Cragen.  
  
Fin stuck his head in the doorway. "Just got off the phone with the police upstate who handled the sexual assault case – and it isn't what you want to hear, Captain."  
  
Crap. "What'd they say?"  
  
"Apparently, it wasn't much more than a small-town prom night party gone awry. Our boy Zack left the party with a cheerleader who regretted it in the morning. She said rape but she pretty much changed her mind later and the charges were reduced. He got a deal real easy – probation, which he was done with before he even got to the university."  
  
Huang shook his head, and Cragen knew what he meant immediately. Whether or not Zack had really raped the cheerleader, it was a colossal step from that to the beastly violence inflicted upon Nina. It wasn't impossible that something or someone had triggered such a change in Zack, but the captain's gut was telling him that the young man staring confidently back at his detective was not the monster they were in search of. It was time to tell Munch what they'd learned.  
  
When Zack's upstate lawyer finally rolled in, she let loose immediately. "It's atrocious that you're targeting my client just because he's convenient! He served his probation and accusing him of raping a five-year-old girl is preposterous. What are you going to do, arrest every Hudson University student who's ever had a run-in with the law?"  
  
Pursing his lips and eyeing her, Munch gave the lawyer a few moments to make sure she'd run out of steam. "No, we just want to talk to the one who's been screwing the five-year-old's father's girlfriend."  
  
At this, Zack scoffed. "Lacey is so not Pressman's girlfriend. Come on – she's just been doing him to pass that stupid class."  
  
Munch squinted at him. "And that makes you real jealous, is that right, Zack?"  
  
The lawyer held up her hand. "Zack, you don't have to answer that."  
  
Ignoring her, he rolled his eyes. "You know what, I was pissed when I first found out. Because it's totally rank that she'd be boffing an old nasty guy like that. He's gotta be, like, past forty. Which is disgusting."  
  
Forty was disgusting? Munch fought to remain expressionless.  
  
Zack went on. "But to tell you the truth, I finally figured out that Lacey totally gave me an awesome excuse."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"To break up with her and not have it be my fault." He sat back proudly while the lawyer regarded him, speechless at last.  
  
Munch thought quickly. "And it would be your fault because … Lacey's not the only one cheating?"  
  
Zack shrugged. "Well, I've sort of been seeing someone a little bit." He couldn't help but grin. "In fact, that's where I was last night while Lacey was out to dinner with Pressman."  
  
Which would give him an alibi if it turned out to be true. "Oh, really. And who is your special someone?"  
  
He actually blushed a little bit through his freckles. "Okay, well, this is totally going to ruin my whole plan, but … it's Lacey's sister, Nicole. I can give you her number if you want." He started digging around in his pockets for his cell phone.  
  
The lawyer's jaw dropped.  
  
Munch recovered first. "Lacey has a sister at Hudson?"  
  
"Uh huh. She's a junior." He shrugged again, then smirked. "What can I say? They look a lot alike."  
  
Thoroughly revolted, Munch rose from his chair and went to speak with his colleagues in the next room. "Did you get all that? It's like Peyton Place with these people."  
  
"Unbelievable," agreed Cragen.  
  
"There's no way he raped Nina," Huang pointed out. "He's like Eric Pressman – he's a cheater and a liar, but he's no criminal."  
  
"That Lacey Goldstone sure knows how to pick 'em," said Fin as he went to his desk to answer his ringing phone.  
  
He returned momentarily. "Captain, all the dumpster diving they've been doing in the Pressmans' neighborhood looks like it might've paid off. Forensics wants us to come take a look at what they've got."  
  
TBC 


	14. Chapter 14

* * *

Hudson University Medical Center/ December 3/ 6:01 PM

* * *

Olivia leaned against the wall in the long, too-bright hallway, her hands deep in the pockets of her leather coat, trying to stretch the kinks out of the muscles in her neck. She was telling herself unsuccessfully that the insistent gnawing in her stomach was not hunger – she'd have a chance to eat and really sleep once they had put this case to bed. To her left was the door to Nina's room, where Eric Pressman was supposed to be telling his wife about his affair with Lacey. So far they hadn't made a sound loud enough to hear out in the hall.  
  
She looked to her right, where Elliot was in the middle of a phone call with Munch. He was pacing a little bit, and his brow was contorted above his blue eyes. Finally, he flipped the phone shut. Olivia waited expectantly.  
  
"Remember Dr. Campbell in the ER?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Well, she was right – the perp did use a paintbrush to rape Nina."  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
His eyes slid toward Nina's door. "They found it while canvassing the neighborhood, behind a dumpster two blocks away. It's not an artist's brush, more like a housepainter's, and definitely with paint on it like it's been used before. Lab has it now, and the blood and tissue all over it belong to her without a doubt."  
  
"But no fingerprints."  
  
He sighed, shaking his head. "Munch says the lab is working on where the perp might have gotten it from, you know, stores and suppliers."  
  
Olivia nodded, thinking.  
  
Just then, Eric slunk out into the hallway and stood there, eyes downcast, looking generally worthless. The two detectives looked at him, then at each other. Was there anything to say?  
  
Melanie leaned out of the doorway. "Detective Benson? Can I speak with you?" Olivia looked back at Elliot, then followed Dr. Pressman into her daughter's room.  
  
Nina was engulfed by tubes, wires and bandages in a bed at the far end of the large room; Melanie led Olivia to two chairs closer to the door.  
  
"How's she doing?" asked Olivia.  
  
The skin around Melanie's eyes was puffy and bluish, but she looked directly into Olivia's face, her jaw set. "There's no real change now, but she is going to wake up soon."  
  
Olivia wasn't sure if this belief was based on Melanie's medical experience or just incredible optimism, but she hoped she was right. "Melanie, did Eric tell you about Lacey Goldstone?"  
  
She raked her fingers through her dark hair. "Yes. He told me." Olivia said nothing, only watched her. "What I wanted you to know is that I've suspected for awhile that Eric wasn't faithful."  
  
Olivia raised her eyebrows. "Why stay with him?"  
  
Melanie's answer was certain and clear. "Loyalty to the idea of a family for my girls. Detective, they didn't deserve to lose their father just because he couldn't be committed to me and our marriage. He's the best father you can imagine." She raised one finger. "And listen to me – he is not a rapist."  
  
"Well, Eric's alibi checks out. We know he didn't do it."  
  
Melanie wasn't finished. "But he also told me about this suspect you have – the student's boyfriend. Zack or whatever. And I told Eric that if his dirty little affair put Nina's safety in jeopardy and led to her rape, then it is his fault. If that's what happened, I will take my girls and leave so fast …" She closed her eyes.  
  
"Melanie, we've questioned Zack and now we've released him. He's got an alibi too and he's not the man we're looking for."  
  
The doctor's brown eyes snapped back open. "Are you sure?"  
  
Olivia nodded. "I can tell you that we have found an important new piece of physical evidence. Have you or your husband had any painting done recently? At your apartment, maybe, or your offices?"  
  
She shook her head, confused. "Painting? No. Why?"  
  
Olivia took a deep breath. "We've found the object that was used to penetrate your daughter. It was the handle of a paintbrush."  
  
Immediately, Melanie's hand flew to her lips. "A paintbrush?"  
  
Olivia stayed quiet.  
  
"A paintbrush. In my sweet, sweet girl," murmured Melanie, sliding deeper into the chair. "Can you tell who it belongs to?"  
  
"That's what we're working on now. Now that you've had a little time … think back. Can you remember anybody following you? Anything strange you noticed?"  
  
Melanie frowned, thinking hard. "We've been so busy lately … Nina was sick with that cold, and Maya had it before that. She got it at preschool. I can't think of anything. Do you think it could be a random attack, like Eric thought at first?"  
  
"We're still investigating," offered Olivia, which was her usual answer to speculation. But she knew that was next to impossible – a random attacker who wanted to rape a child would not climb through the window, commit the atrocity with other people in the apartment, and then leave. He would take the child from her bed, rape her somewhere else, and then dump her, alive or dead, anonymously. This attacker had clearly wanted to send an angry message. But to whom? And what was he trying to say?  
  
By this point, Melanie was getting restless and anxious to get back to Nina across the room. She rose and walked over to her daughter, standing over the bed with her arms crossed, as if willing the child to open her eyes and speak. Olivia followed, keeping her distance.  
  
Elliot appeared in the doorway. "Liv?"  
  
She started to excuse herself, then realized Melanie would not hear her. She followed her partner out into the hallway, where she noticed Eric now sitting against the wall, his face blank.  
  
"Captain wants us back at the station," said Elliot, tucking away his phone and heading for the elevators.  
  
Olivia couldn't help hoping they'd have a chance to grab some quick food on the way there.  
  
TBC 


	15. Chapter 15

* * *

Special Victims Unit Headquarters/ December 3/ 6:52 PM

* * *

Elliot and Olivia returned to the station to find their colleagues gathered around the board where photos, sketches, and diagrams had been posted. "Anything else from that paintbrush?" Elliot slid his coat down over his shoulders and draped it over a chair.  
  
"Nothing more from the lab yet," replied Cragen. "But I think it's time we start looking for a painter. He could be the guy that the neighbors saw running down the street. We're looking again at Melanie's patient lists."  
  
"I didn't find anybody with the right kind of rap sheet," said Olivia. "But I wasn't looking for a painter so it's worth another shot."  
  
Munch and Fin had headed off to dig into this considerable task before Elliot and Olivia had arrived, though not without shooting each other glances of chagrin first.  
  
Olivia looked at the photo of Nina that was taped to the board. It was not a school photo but a candid shot – a good one of her in the sunshine, her cheeks flushed and stretched wide into a beautiful, innocent smile. "I was talking to her mother back at the hospital, and that perp has got to be sending a message by hurting that little girl. Melanie asked if the molestation might have been random, but there's just no way."  
  
"Yeah, no way," Elliot echoed. "That attack was not random."  
  
Huang crossed his arms and studied the photo too. "He's angry about something, and it's probably related to the Pressmans specifically. It's important that he targeted Nina rather than her parents, even though it's unlikely that a five-year-old like her is the real reason for his rage."  
  
"So you think he's definitely angry at Eric or Melanie?" asked Cragen, thoughtfully.  
  
"They're the most likely possibilities, given that he assaulted their daughter, in their apartment, and left her there for them to find."  
  
"So why not attack them?" asked Elliot. "Why not rape Melanie or rip Eric into shreds, instead of that child? We all saw what he did to Nina – that guy was strong and bold enough to dominate an adult."  
  
"That's what I mean about Nina being important to him," replied Huang. "There must be something ... maybe he was molested by someone when he was a child, and he's connecting that experience to one of the Pressmans for some reason. Or maybe he's angry about a child of his own."  
  
Olivia looked up sharply. "If it's a child of his own – it's got to be Melanie. How else would either of them have any contact with his child?"  
  
Elliot nodded. "What do you bet that Munch and Fin find a painter somewhere in those hospital records?"  
  
Munch had heard this from his desk, where he was swimming in folders and paper. "No such luck so far," he called. "No painter daddies with kids in the PICU."  
  
Olivia and Elliot headed to their desks to help with the mountains of records, but just as they sat down Elliot's phone rang. Olivia opened a folder but couldn't help watching him surreptitiously from across the two desks.  
  
"Hey, Maureen … well, of course she's still upset. No … we saw her a little while ago and she's doing okay. You tell Tessa that." He sighed, hugely. "No, I'm not mad at you … last night was pretty weird, you're telling me. We are definitely going to sit down real soon, though … why? So you can tell me what you were doing out on the street that time of night! What? … No, I don't think you have explained that yet, but …" He sighed again. "Okay, I'll talk to you later. Tell your mom I'm going to be late, okay? Bye."  
  
He rolled his eyes. Olivia couldn't help smirking a little – poor Elliot. He tried to be tough, but those kids, especially Maureen, had him smoked.  
  
He flipped through admission forms. "Tessa asked her to call to check and see how Nina's doing."  
  
"I told you – she really does care about those girls."  
  
"Yeah, Tessa has always seemed like a real nice kid," he conceded.  
  
"You're not still mad at Maureen for lying, are you?" asked Olivia. "You know she was just being loyal to her friend and trying to protect her. She was out in the neighborhood because she was worried about Tessa."  
  
He leaned back and exhaled. "I'm glad she's being a good friend," he said. "But that's not the whole story – you smelled the alcohol on her breath before you put her in that squad car."  
  
"She wasn't drunk, Elliot," Olivia returned, examining a list of surgical patients. "And come on, what do you think college kids do when they want to relax?"  
  
He shuddered.  
  
She scoffed. "You have no idea – you've got it so good."  
  
"What, you were so much worse when you were in college?"  
  
"I see no reason to answer that question."  
  
Exasperated, Elliot turned all of his focus back to the paperwork. Olivia rose and went to check out the coffee situation – she still hadn't had a chance to eat. Why wasn't anybody else hungry? Usually she could at least count on Elliot to start demanding food around the time she felt ready to sacrifice one of her co-workers for meat, but his appetite seemed to be curiously absent tonight. She found some sorry-looking doughnuts from that morning, promptly lowered her standards, and dug in.  
  
At his desk, Elliot forced himself to push Maureen and her nosedive into sin to the back of his mind so he could consider some of the people whose stories were summarized on the papers in front of him. He wondered if any of the people from the lounge earlier that day were there to visit children he was reading about now. Melanie had treated all kinds of kids, with all kinds of families. But no painters, or anything else that seemed relevant to him.  
  
Olivia was trying to liven up a tired cup of coffee with some sugar when her phone rang. "Benson." She listened, then flipped it shut and grabbed her coat. "Elliot, that was Melanie – Nina's awake."  
  
TBC 


	16. Chapter 16

Surprise! Long time no see ...

* * *

Hudson University Medical Center/ December 3/ 8:23 PM

* * *

As the two detectives hurried down the echoing PICU hallway toward Nina's room, they were surprised to see a small figure sitting all alone in a chair just outside the door, swinging her legs and humming softly.

Olivia bent down before her. "Maya? Sweetie, where's your mom and dad?"

The little girl pointed over her shoulder toward the closed door into her sister's room. Her face was solemn, her dark eyes large and lovely. "Nina woke up," she said after a moment.

Elliot smiled down at her. "We heard. We're glad she's feeling better."

But Maya wasn't finished. "A bad man hurt my sister," she said. "My mom said. She's sad." Her bottom lip pushed out and the tears began to fill her eyes. "I want my mom," she cried.

Olivia's heart felt like it was about to burst in her chest. "Oh, honey," she said, gathering the three-year-old into her arms. She stood up and Maya wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck and buried her face in the leather of her collar.

Elliot raised his eyebrows. "What's she doing out here all by herself?" he wondered aloud.

His partner shook her head. "Let's find out." She motioned at the door.

Inside the room, the detectives found Eric and Melanie on either side of Nina's bed, where the five-year-old didn't look much different than the last time they had seen her, except that the tube that had been helping her to breathe earlier was gone. Her parents' faces still looked weary and drawn, but a small measure of light had returned to their eyes. Both looked up as the door clicked shut behind Olivia and Elliot, a sound that interrupted the steady, rhythmic bleeping of the machines.

Alarm crossed Melanie's face when she saw Maya. She rose and looked sharply at Eric. "I thought you left her with one of the nurses!"

He sighed, but did not move from his chair next to Nina's bed. "I did."

Olivia gently pulled Maya's arms from around her neck and lifted the little girl into her mother's embrace. Maya stuck her thumb firmly into her mouth and gave a great, shuddering sigh. Melanie sat back down next to Nina.

Elliot pointed toward the bed. "Mr. and Mrs. Pressman, how is she doing?"

Eric looked to his wife, who nodded hopefully. "Better than this morning," she said. "She's fallen asleep again now, but it isn't coma anymore. She was awake about twenty minutes. She's breathing well on her own so Dr. Long extubated her. Temp's still a little high but not like earlier. Her bloodwork is looking about as good as it can."

Elliot wondered, not for the first time, if Melanie's expert perspective on her daughter's health made this experience harder or easier for her. There was none of the bewildered panic that he often saw from parents of injured children, but he knew that Melanie could envision every possible horrific scenario. She certainly knew just how precarious Nina's condition was.

Melanie shifted her sleepy three-year-old to a different position on her lap. Eric looked across the bed. "I can take her if you want, Mel."

"No. You can't," his wife replied resolutely. Her voice was cool and calm. Eric studied her face for a moment, then looked down at his hands.

Elliot shot a glance at his partner, but she was peering at Nina's small, white face. "Look," she whispered.

Nina's eyelashes fluttered lazily. She swallowed twice. Finally, her eyes opened. Her gaze shifted around the room quickly, then fixed on her father to her left.

"Hi there again, baby," he said, his voice sweet and tender. "Did you have a nice nap?" Nina nodded slowly, then looked over at her mother on her right side.

"Hey, ladybug," said Melanie, reaching out to smooth back the fine dark hair from Nina's forehead. "How are you? Do you hurt anywhere?"

The little girl's brow furrowed, but she shook her head slightly. She finally noticed Elliot and Olivia standing at the foot of the bed and frowned again, puzzled.

"Nina, I'm Elliot and this is Olivia and we're police officers. We came to see you and we're so glad you're awake," said Elliot, pulling up a chair and smiling.

Olivia watched in wonder as the brutalized, wounded five-year-old smiled back at her partner. "Hi, Nina," she said.

Nina tried to reply but the only sound she made was a reedy whisper. Melanie said quickly, "It's from the tube. It'll take a little while for her voice to come back."

Elliot nodded. "I know this is going to be difficult, but we need to ask Nina a few questions about what she remembers."

Eric sighed. "Now? I wish you didn't."

Melanie's jaw stiffened. "I know," she said. "Go ahead, detectives."

Olivia took a deep breath and leaned forward. "Nina, do you know where you are?"

The little girl nodded. "Hospital," she whispered.

"That's right," said Olivia. "Do you remember what happened to you last night, why you're here in the hospital?"

Both detectives tried not to cringe, watching the transformation of Nina's face as the wheels in her head turned and some of the trauma returned to her consciousness. With the memories came some of the pain in her body, and her eyes shone with tears. She nodded.

"Was there somebody in your bedroom?" asked Elliot.

"A man," she said.

"You must have been scared," Olivia said. "Do you remember what the man looked like?"

Nina squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "Didn't see."

"Please," said Melanie, and they could see that she was nearly in tears. Eric was cradling his forehead in one hand.

Elliot had at least a dozen more questions for Nina, but her eyes were beginning to close again. Olivia hoped her sleep would be dreamless.

TBC


End file.
